The feeling of successfully hosting the Asia region’s very first World Series adventure race, receiving recognition across the world is incredible. It’s a moment of pride for every individual and all the organizations that supported the Namma Adventure Race to achieve this feat. Namma Adventure Race was held on 17th, 18th & 19th December 2021 powered by GARMIN and supported by Udupi Tourism and Karnataka Tourism.
Namma Adventure Race kick-started with the event administration. Each team was welcomed who became part of this history in the making. All our teams had spent months and days preparing for this very day and moment of pride as they became the FIRST Indian Teams to be recognized and ranked on the Adventure Racing World Series platform. The welcome was followed by a Kayaking session, Event Administration, Team Photoshoot, Interviews, Race Briefing ended with Dinner.
The Namma Adventure Race is a 130km (24-Hour) team event, where teams of 4 raced in multiple sports disciplines including, kayaking, hiking, trail running, mountain biking, and orienteering, with some surprise local cultural elements.
The race was flagged off on the 18th morning and our participants raced across the beautiful district of Udupi, visiting the Kapu Lighthouse, Karkala Gomateshwara statue, and the Pilarkhana Forest temple to name a few places. It was a visual treat for the teams to run/cycle/kayak across the beautiful landscapes and the clean, scenic beaches of Udupi District.
The race had been postponed previously, due to the current situation, so many teams, including those from outside the state and country, were unable to attend. Of the 17 teams who initially registered, some had to drop out due to new variant scare and further travel restrictions. It was a challenge, but to make sure India is ready for future races, the organizers did whatever they could to continue, and the race was widely promoted and followed across various social media platforms.
Race Directors from NthAdventure, Ajita Madan and Sayeesh Kirani said, “We had to take a call and it was now, or never, considering the current situation. However, with the support of the Tourism Department, our partners, and our teams who made it this far, we were able to go ahead and give them the memory of a lifetime. “This race has made history being the first in India, the first in the ARWS-Asia regional series, and the first in Udupi, Karnataka, and it’s going to be remembered in coming years. This is the effort of yearlong planning. What our teams have achieved in 24-hours is incredible, and now they’ve had a glimpse of how they need to prepare for Expedition style races, which last between 7 to 10 days!
“It was an amazing feeling to receive accolades and well wishes from the AR community, be it from Race Directors or athletes, who followed the race from around the world. This made all our efforts worthwhile. Now we are proud to say that all the teams who participated with us are a step closer to racing again in India and perhaps elsewhere in the world. “India is a country which is known for its rich history, hospitality, culture, cuisines, and amazing, yet versatile, landscapes. It is perfectly suited for adventure racing, and in the future, we can invite and welcome athletes from across the nation and other countries. With the success of Namma Adventure Race 2021, we look forward to receiving more support towards encouraging this sport.”
Every Team has gone through personal and physical up and lows during the race. And they also realized what they can achieve. It was wonderful hearing their stories at the finish line and till now team shared about the CP, TA, mistakes, learnings, and how they got lost then found their way. It's a sport which requires not just ENDURANCE. And our teams showed the true Team Spirit.
What our Teams Said:
Team S3G from Manipal and Mangalore said; “The race was amazing and being a local, we explored our district like never before. Thank you for bringing this race to Udupi. We hope to race again.”
Team Skyrunners from Bangalore said; “We need more teams to come and experience this sport. India has everything to offer that this sport requires. With the right support, we can invite international teams to our country and race against them.”
All the participating teams gained Adventure Racing World Series Asia ranking points and the top 3 teams who secured podium completed the 130km route were:
WINNER OF INDIA's FIRST 24-HOURS ARWS ASIA SERIES RACE
Team Skyrunners has qualified for The INDIA REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 2022 and is now a step closer to being the FIRST Indian Team to represent India at the ARWS Asia Championship in Malaysia in 2022.
More Coverage about Namma Adventure Race find here:
Sleepmonster.com (UK Based Adventure Racing website)
The entire event was covered by our Media Team: Neil Productions
This race is the efforts of our generous Volunteers - We love them!
We thank our partners for all their support.
Visit our Partner here: UDUPI TOURISM Garmin Adventure Worx Stairs Physio Kanachur Hospital & Research Center Sea to Summit Kati Patang Saucony Decathlon Bharathmall, Mangalore Redbull India Cafe Olive Planet Taj Cycles Unexplored Club Kayakboy NARS ALAG
NthAdventure is the only licensed organization in India to host events from Adventure Racing World Series. NthAdventure’s prime focus is to grow and build the adventure racing and orienteering community in India. Both the Race Directors have been part of multiple Expedition Races like Expedition Africa, GODZone, and Expedition India. We have been conducting workshops, training sessions, webinars, and multiple sprint races since 2015 to help make Indian teams race-ready for the global stage. For more information about adventure racing in India, please visit https://www.nthadventure.com/
Big congratulations to all the winners and teams who came out in support of the sport and best wishes to the entire Adventure Racing community for the coming year.”
To know more about upcoming races do follow NthAdventure on:
1. Instagram
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4. YouTube
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